We've been hearing a lot of news about sequels recently (including '21 Jump Street 2' and 'Fast and Furious 7'), but those have been for hit films or are continuing a franchise that has already proved successful enough to rush. Today it's been announced that studios are working on sequels for 'The Heat' and 'Ride Along,' two films that haven't even hit theaters yet.

You might have heard of 'The Heat' as it's the Melissa McCarthy/Sandra Bullock buddy cop comedy that's due out June 27. The film's screenwriter Katie Dippold has been hired to write a sequel, according to Deadline. It appears to be a part of a package deal that also includes another script described as an "edgy mother/daughter comedy."

'Ride Along,' however, isn't even due out in theaters until January of next year. It stars Ice Cube and Kevin Hart in the story of a cop (Cube) who takes his future brother-in-law (Hart) out for a ride-along to hopefully scare Hart away from marrying Cube's sister. The film is directed by Tim Story, and Universal already has screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi pitching a follow up.

If the script is the cheapest part of a studio movie, it makes perfect sense to spend money on the development of these sequels because it means they can have the follow up ready in a year or two, instead of three or four years later. And if the films tank, they haven't wasted that much time or money in the scheme of things. But more than anything, this news points out how much sequels and franchises dominate Hollywood's thinking these days, so any original property that shows any promise whatsoever is bound to generate sequel talk.

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